98 Single Cab Tacoma 2.7L "Smudge"

[mikeyjd]

Here is what we did today.

I used an old 4x8 sheet of plywood siding ripped down to 16 inches for my sides. I used an old door frame to get the spacing and shape I wanted around the wheel weels.






There is about half an inch between the plywood and my moon caps.



Our 59.7 Mile trip yielded 47.8mpg on the trip north for a new trip record.



Our trip home yielded 47.0mpg with much colder ambient/intake temps.



No ABA test, but if I had to guess I'd say 2-3mpgs between changing to synthetic fluids and adding the sides.

[aardvarcus]

The gentle curves on the plywood turned out nice. Is the plywood attached to the bumper of the truck, or is that just the curve in the sheet?

Also, you probably want to put some paint or stain on your plywood to keep the edges from starting to delaminate. Sometimes the big box stores have gallons of mistinted exterior paint really cheap.

[mikeyjd]

Both sides have a single selftapping screw at the bumper to hold the taper. I'm hoping to polyurethane the sides and deck in the next few days if the weather holds.

[elhigh]

Well, I was going to suggest some underbed toolboxes - homebrew if necessary, since a Taco is a lot smaller than the usual market for the ready-made ones - to close up the gap under the sides of your bed, but I think your skirts look nicer.

A side shot! You're killing me not letting me see how the skirts look from the side.

Beating 40 in my 28-year-old Pickup is the holy grail. As much as I love the throbbing 22r heart in my ride, your mileage is a strong argument in favor of a new(er) truck.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by elhigh

Well, I was going to suggest some underbed toolboxes - homebrew if necessary, since a Taco is a lot smaller than the usual market for the ready-made ones - to close up the gap under the sides of your bed, but I think your skirts look nicer.

A side shot! You're killing me not letting me see how the skirts look from the side.

Beating 40 in my 28-year-old Pickup is the holy grail. As much as I love the throbbing 22r heart in my ride, your mileage is a strong argument in favor of a new(er) truck.

Yeah. For a while there on the way north I was over 49 and thought I might have a chance to hit 50 for the leg. A few stop signs and hills killed that dream. I'll try to get a side shot up later.

[mikeyjd]

As you can see a washing machine forms a nice aerodynamic shape when laid on it's side just behind the cab. It hurt my economy slightly in the city having it on there, as it adds about 120lbs. Highway mileage sees a slight increase.

I have a couple 4'x'8 sheets of white coroplast that I'm considering using over the plywood.


The typical washer is roughly 27 1/2 wide and the cab rear is about 29.

[elhigh]

Beating 40 in that is really, really good. I'm seriously impressed and envious.

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by elhigh

Beating 40 in that is really, really good. I'm seriously impressed and envious.

Thanks. I enjoy the challenge of setting new personal benchmarks in whatever I drive, and this toyota has been super fun to hypermile in. To me it's like the bigger more useful brother to the Ford Festiva.


I repaired my intake housing as it was quite cracked and damaged.



I took the opportunity to flip my air intake around on my filter box to make it a WAI. I'll monitor intake temps and see if any benefit can be had from it on this truck.

[spacemanspif]

Nice work, love the new sides!

Here is another thought: could you remove every other (or even 2?) 2x4 plank from the bed and cover the whole thing with a sheet of plywood? Should maintain utility but maybe lighten the truck by a few pounds. Not sure what the actual gain would be in terms of weight but every bit you save is more money you can load on the back...

[mikeyjd]

Originally Posted by spacemanspif

Nice work, love the new sides!

Here is another thought: could you remove every other (or even 2?) 2x4 plank from the bed and cover the whole thing with a sheet of plywood? Should maintain utility but maybe lighten the truck by a few pounds. Not sure what the actual gain would be in terms of weight but every bit you save is more money you can load on the back...

I bought the truck with the bed it has on it, and it has proven very useful for my purposes. I will probably try to optimize the rest of the truck first, while "using up" the current deck a little bit before putting the time and money into a new one. This also gives me a chance to possibly source the materials for free. I like the idea of lightening it though. I'm planning to remove the spare tire today and weigh it, for a little weight savings.